girlfriend

So today as we are getting in the car after school, Sam announces to me that he has a "girlfriend"! I am utterly shocked. He then proceeds to tell me how "sweet" she is. He says, "Yeah mom, her name is Suzy; (not her real name, I honestly can't remember it) you'd like her. She is wreely sweet." I then fumble with my words and somehow get out, "Oh, you mean a friend that's a girl, right?" "Yes," he replies. (Not that I really feared he understood the real meaning, but I felt relieved just the same!)
Of all my boys, I honestly did not expect to hear that from Sam first. I think I was really thinking it might actually be Asher to say those words to me first! ;) Funny. And both funny and scary how fast they pick up things from other kids. He certainly did not get the "girlfriend" idea from us. But I think, for now, I will rest in the innocence and cuteness of it, in the reality that it was Sam, and be VERY thankful it wasn't some other announcement like, "I punched so-and-so today.", or "So-and-so is mean so I beat him/her up." (Neither of the boys have shown any indications that they would actually DO such things at school, but a mother's imagination can get the best of her sometimes!)
And speaking of imagination, I am now caught in a vortex of the realization of how fast time flies and much sooner than I think ALL my boys will grow into men and one by one begin to announce to us their real "girlfriends"/wives. Then I will officially have been replaced. Ouch. But that's the way God set it up to be. And God is good.

Lord, protect those young girls, whoever and wherever they are, and may they grow to be godly women, wives, and mothers for my boys and future grandchildren. And may my boys learn from Rob and I how to love and serve you first, and how to be godly men, husbands, and fathers. For your glory and your name, not ours. Amen.

the pumpkin patch

Here are a few pics of our day at the "Big Orange Pumpkin Farm"! We had a blast being together and enjoying the fall day as a family! A fun memory to be sure! We ate lunch, fed the animals, went on a hay ride, and picked pumpkins! The boys seemed to really like it, though near the end, Asher started to "meltdown"! Enjoy the pics!

Our picnic lunch...the big bubbas

Joel checkin' out the little hay maze!

Gettin' into the ropin' pen! Go Sam go!

All my boys! And looking at the camera too! ;)

Having a taste of the mud. Yum...I mean yuck!

Enjoying the hayride!

The blondies!

Too cute for words...!

a good recipe...

So my Kodak Easyshare is not behaving so easily today and won't let me copy my downloaded pictures onto my computer. Therefore my hopes of a post on our day at the pumpkin patch are left empty! Sorry! Instead I thought I would share a new recipe I tried tonight and loved! It is from the Kraft Food & Family magazine (it's free...sign up online!) which I love and use all the time! If you're like me, sometimes you feel like you get in a "dinner rut" and anything new and good is like a breath of fresh air!! So here ya go! Try it and see if you don't like it as much as we did! It's super easy too...a must for a mom of three like me!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce (w/ Rice)

2 cups Instant Brown Rice, uncooked
1 can fat-free chicken broth, divided
6 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed (I needed a few more)
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1lb)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/3 cup Chive & Onion light cream cheese


COOK rice as directed on package, using 1 1/4 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup water.

MEANWHILE, mix cracker crumbs and parmesan cheese on plate. Rinse chicken with cold water; shake off excess water. Dip chicken in cracker mixture, turning to coat.

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Place chicken on serving plate; set aside; keep warm. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth and cream cheese spread to same skillet. Cook on meduim heat until mixture just comes to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer until sauce thickens. Spoon over chicken. Serve with rice and your choice of vegetable. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

five for friday...

It's been a while, so here goes:

1. We are all moved into our new home!!!! We absolutely love it, and now that it is not raining, we are getting to enjoy our porch and backyard! This house is so much more than I ever dreamed possible and I am SOOOO thankful to the Lord for it and his obvious blessing and kindness towards us in it! Can't wait to make lots of memories here!

2. Rob is taking me on a date tonight! Yeah! No pressure Babe, but I hope it's good! I need some fun and relaxing! It's been a long two weeks indoors outnumbered by very active boys!

3. Asher is into EVERYTHING!! And I mean EVERYTHING! He loves the kitchen cabinets, opening them,that is and pulling out whatever is inside. He loves pulling on drawer knobs, even if it means the entire table may fall over on him! AHHH! Oh, and his new favorite thing is to step/climb up on things and stand. He climbs up on the boys stepstool in the bathroom while one of them is on it....it's so cute! He obviously can't wait to do the things that they can!

4. Sam was "Chapel Angel of the Day" yesterday at school and he was beaming! He couldn't wait to show me when he came out of class and then tell his Daddy about it as soon as he got home! I nearly cried as I watched him tell Rob all about it, why he got it, and how all the other kids gave him a high five on the way out. We are so proud of him and how he is really maturing and growing! He absolutely loves school! And he really is getting good at communicating all that he did during the day and what he is learning! I am so thankful!

5. And there's our sweet Joel-er Bear! No matter how big he gets, I'm afraid he will forever be my Joel-er Bear! He is doing well in school too and loving it! He likes to tell me all about his friends and who he ate lunch with (his life revolves around meals)! He still struggles a bit with studdering, but it really seems to be improving. I am going to call the public school next week and see about getting him evaluated though...I'm sure with a little help he will improve greatly and not get frustrated when he is excited and wants to tell me something (and neither will I)!

relationships...the good, the bad, and all worthwhile

In our care group we are going through this book (see above)(excellent, and I recommend it) and I was struck by several things during our discussion on chapter 5: "Agendas". The authors use and reference Ephesians 4 as the basis of the chapter. They make the case that all too often we have a "self-interested" agenda at the heart of our relationships. What's in it for me? Does this relationship make my life easier, better, or happier? Now, don't get me wrong, God intended us to be in relationships with one another for our good and as a means of joy and grace, but he didn't promise they would be easy. Why is it that we think if it's not easy, why bother? I call it in my life, "idol of ease". I want my marriage relationship with Rob to be easy, and I want my time with and care of our boys to be easy and fun for me. How foolish am I when I am surprised when they aren't?! So, last night Rob made a comment about a quote deeling with fatigue and exhaustion in relationships and relating it in physical terms. "If you quit at the first sign of fatigue when you exercise, you miss the chance to become more fit. Exercise after exhaustion is the most efficient and productive time for physical fitness. This is true of relationships as well." How true and sobering in light of our relationship with one of our sons. We are, on many occasions, utterly exhausted of all the work it takes. My heart wants to give up sometimes. But that is when God is really accomplishing his purposes and doing some heart work in me and Lord willing, my son too. And then the gospel screams back at me that God didn't give up on me, instead He sent His Son to rescue me! Whoa!!!!

At the close of our meeting I was encouraged by this quote Craig shared with us from the end of the chapter:
"What vision for relationships is the Bible painting for us? According to Ephesians 4, it is that the highest joys of relationships grow in the soil of the deepest struggles. Struggles are not obstacles, but instruments in God's hands. Every struggle is an opportunity to experience God's grace yourself and give it to the other person. ...If you look at your own character, some of your deepest growth has been born out of great stress and trial."

So, though relationships, even the ones that mean the most to us, are hard, the Lord promises grace for it and that he is "working all things together for our good". It really is "a mess worth making"!

Asher turned 1!

The "cake"!

Devouring his cupcake!

His bath after cake...too cute!

(Sorry, out of order) Stripped down and awaiting

his cake!

Balls!!!!

Love that face!

My little man!

Well, after many weeks of saying, "I need to post about Asher's birthday.", I am finally doing it! Our lives have been a bit crazy since then (more on that to come), and well, it is true what they say...he is my 3rd child....sorry Ash! We love you tons, but life with three boys gets a little hairy at times!

Anyways, enough excuses. We celebrated Asher's birthday the weekend of his birthday (which is Sept. 6th), just two weeks after having Joel's birthday! We mainly invited family and a few close friends who are like family to us! Cherith was kind again, once again, to allow us to host the party at her home since we were still living with her at the time! My parents came (aka Nana and Pop) and Rob's brother and his family, who now, to our joy, live in Ft. Worth, only about an hour away! It was low key but a lot of fun! We let Asher open presents after his nap (can't miss those!) and then we enjoyed a brisket bbq lunch together! For dessert, of course, were cupcakes, which Asher devoured completely! That's our boy! ;)

Over this first year of his life, Asher has grown from a tender, loving baby, to a rough-and-tumble, happy-go-lucky, into-everything little BOY! He is such a joy! His smile continues to melt our hearts and his laughter can brighten any day! We are so blessed that the Lord gave him to us and that we get to watch as God's plan for his life unfolds day by day before our very eyes! Thank you Asher, for being Mommy's "little man", loving me unconditionally, as only a son can, and for brightening nearly every day I spend with you with your joy and sweet spirit! And thank you Lord, for knowing what we needed, even when what we thought that was a little girl. You truly are a kind and loving Father who gives GOOD gifts to his children!

"Super Mom" 101

You know you have "arrived" as a mother of boys when stuck in traffic, a son announces he needs to go pee pee, and "super mom" instructs him calmly to get out of his seat and come pee in the empty Sonic cup that is thankfully still in the cupholder! (I even held the cup for him!) And then "super mom" casually opens the door and dumps the contents of the cup out.
Another disaster averted. Peace is restored once again! Another save for "Super Mom"!